WEF Letter Supports WIFIA Reauthorization and Expansion Legislation

On Jan. 11, the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) and several other water sector organizations sent a letter to U.S. Rep. Brian Mast (R–Fla.) in support of the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2017 (H.R. 4492).

Mast and a bipartisan group of representatives introduced the bill in November. The bill has been referred to both the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Committee on Energy and Commerce. H.R. 4492 would reauthorize the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA), which is set to expire in 2019, for an additional 5 years. The bill would increase credit assistance from the current $45 million to $90 million and offer financial flexibility to utilities, municipalities, nonprofits, and other eligible entities to construct $5 billion in new water resources infrastructure.